Lawrence Journal-World 03-02-11

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SENIOR NIGHT AT THE FIELDHOUSE! Tyrel Reed, Mario Little, Brady Morningstar take center stage tonight as KU faces Texas A&M Sports 1B

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Women’s services threatened

45,000 Kansans use program that’s targeted for federal cuts

Stun guns used 8 times in 2010; new chief requires more training By Chad Lawhorn

kbritt@ljworld.com

clawhorn@ljworld.com

Family planning and related preventive services for lowincome women across the nation are in jeopardy. These services include birth control, breast exams, testing for sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy testing, and they are used by tens of thousands of low-income women in Kansas and millions nationwide. “These are important services for the women who use them,” said Kari Bruffett, assistant secretary for Policy and External Affairs in the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. “For some women, it may be their primary care provider.” Since 1970, the federal government has provided funding for these services through the Title X Family Planning Program. In mid-February, the House of Representatives voted to eliminate the program, which cost $317 million last year, as part of a massive spending bill that sets budget levels for the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. That bill is now under negotiation in the Senate. “We are watching it very carefully,” Bruffett said. Here’s why: ● 45,000 — Kansans using Please see HEALTH, page 2A

Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo

THE LAWRENCE-DOUGLAS COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT says it hands about 4,000 condoms per year, among other family planning and preventive services it provides. Registered nurse Roxie Dohogne was at work at the clinic, 200 Maine, on Tuesday.

cmetz@ljworld.com

Commuters between Lawrence and Kansas City have less than two weeks to relish the open highway that is Interstate 70. Kansas Turnpike Authority has tentatively set March 14 as the day it will begin construction on a three-mile section of I-70 just east of Lawrence. The work, which will require the interstate to be narrowed to one lane in each direction, is part of a $23 million project funded by KTA to replace six miles of 50year-old concrete road. The new road will have a 10-inch rock base and 18 inches of asphalt. Commuters likely haven’t forgotten when crews worked on the project last summer. That road closure, which

squeezed four lanes down to two, resulted in major traffic headaches, especially during the summer weekends and at rush hour on Friday afternoons. “We think there are a number of things that will make the project a little less painful,” KTA spokeswoman Lisa Callahan said of this year’s construction. “But there is no question there will probably be traffic delays during high-traffic periods.” In particular, Callahan said traffic could become backed up when commuters mix with weekend travelers. But, she noted, drivers will be on new pavement, which she believes will make traffic flow better as they enter into the construction area. The construction zone will run three miles east of the Lawrence service area, from

mile marker 208 to mile marker 211. Construction is expected to last until November. A single lane in both the eastbound and westbound side of the highway will stay open through the service area so vehicles can access the area. East of the service area, both eastbound and westbound lanes will merge onto one side of the highway as crews work on the other. KTA hasn’t decided whether crews will work on the eastbound or westbound side first. During the evening hours next week, lanes could be closed as KTA crews do work to the median to allow cars to merge to one side of the highway. — Reporter Christine Metz can be reached at 832-6352.

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● Spending $20,750 to advertise with a trade magazine that then ranked Kansas as the fifth in the county for biotechnolIn the wake of criticism from state leg- ogy. ● Spending more than $2 million in islators, members of the Kansas Bioscience Authority board defended the employee salaries. Last week The Wichita agency’s spending TuesEagle reported that 12 of day. You get what you the agency’s 21 employees Over the past few weeks, state senators have taken pay for. And if we are in have salaries of more than aim at how the KBA is the middle of investing $100,000, and a total of spending the $581 million half a billion dollars, do $106,000 was paid in to 12 employees the state plans to set aside we want to go cheap in bonuses other than Thornton. As over 15 years to fuel the terms of staff?” for Thornton, his salary bioscience industry. was reported at $265,000 On Tuesday at a board plus a $100,000 bonus. meeting in Washington, — John Carlin, chairman of the Members of the State CEO and President Tom Kansas Bioscience Authority board Commerce Committee Thornton acknowledged called the salaries “shockthose concerns. According to The Wichita Eagle, the ing” and “exorbitant,” according to the Senate Commerce Committee has raised Associated Press. On Tuesday, Thornton defended those questions about KBA: ● Spending $10.8 million to build a ven- salaries to the board. ture accelerator, which will house startPlease see KBA, page 2A up bioscience companies.

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Please see TASER, page 2A

By Christine Metz

cmetz@ljworld.com

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From swords to infected blood, Lawrence police officers had multiple reasons to deploy their Tasers in 2010, according to a new report from City Hall. They also had a couple of reasons to get a little additional training with the devices as well. New police chief Tarik Khatib delivered his first annual report on Taser usage to city commissioners on Tuesday, and said a 3-year-old program to add Tasers to the department had been a success. “Tasers really do help us take people into custody who are becoming aggressive or physically combative,” Khatib said. “A lot of times in that situation (without Tasers) we would have to go hands on or roll around on the ground with the suspect. That’s not a good situation either for the officer or the person we’re trying Khatib to apprehend.” In 2010, Lawrence police officers used their Tasers on suspects eight times. That’s up from two times in 2009. The department found all eight incidents to be justified and within the department’s policy, but Khatib said three of the instances perhaps could have been avoided by using a different philosophy. Khatib ordered additional Taser training for all police officers to review the department’s philosophy that Tasers are best used to prevent a physical attack on an officer or other person rather than simply as a tool to apprehend someone who is resisting arrest. “We found all of them to be legal and within our policy, but we thought perhaps other methods could have been used in three of these cases,” Khatib said. The three cases were: ● April 6, when a police sergeant attempted to use the Taser to stop a passenger who was suspected in an aggravated robbery case from fleeing on foot from a vehicle.

KBA defends its salaries before board in Washington

I-70 traffic to be reduced to one lane each way By Christine Metz

LPD Taser use report released ———

By Karrey Britt

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WEDNESDAY • MARCH 2 • 2011

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COMING THURSDAY We give you the latest on how the KU men’s basketball team is doing heading to the end of the regular season.

Vol.153/No.61 22 pages

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